The 1941 Histories of Superior Township Schools
In 1940 Julius W. Haab, Washtenaw County Commissioner of Schools, requested that each of the rural schools in Washtenaw County write a history of their school. An outline was provided of what should be included (see Appendix 2). The resulting
histories were of varying diligence and length. Some were hand written in cursive by the students; others typewritten, evidently by the teacher or a parent. Consequently
spelling, grammar, syntax, and most importantly content, varies from history to history. However, the histories are all note worthy and all contain those first hand accounts that make local history so interesting.
All of these histories are now retained by the Bentley Historical Library in Ann Arbor. They are filed under the name Washtenaw Intermediate School District, call number 85487 Bi 2. The histories are in Box 1 arranged by township.
On the following pages are transcripts of the 1941 History of the 10 school districts that comprised the schools of Superior Township at that time.
District #1 1
District #2 Frains Lake School
District #3 Free Church School
District #4 Crippen School
District #5 Gale School
District #6 Bennett School
District #7 Kimmel School
District #8
Fractional District #1 Town Line School Fractional District #2 Dixboro School Fractional District #3 Fowler School Fractional District #4 Geer School
Fractional District refers to the fact that the school accommodated students from two or more townships. The township in which the school building was located administered the district.
It is evident that the students, in writing these histories, in some cases consulted a number of sources including the Charles C. Chapman 1881 History of Washtenaw County, Samuel W. Beakes 1906 Past and Present of Washtenaw County, early county maps and atlases, and school records. They also interviewed former teachers and students of their school and long time residents of their area.
Haab had in mind, and it is unfortunate that rarely is there a citation as to the source of the information provided.
These transcripts contain only the text of the histories. In some instances a good deal additional material regarding several of the schools is associated with these histories and contained in the Bentley file. It is recommended that this source at the Bentley Historical Library be accessed by anyone wanting further information about any of the Washtenaw County rural schools.
In transcribing this material the spelling of proper names, particularly in those histories written in cursive, was on occasion difficult to determine. Spelling, grammar,
punctuation, and syntax have been revised when the transcriber felt it best to do so, although an effort has been made to retain the character of the histories.
Information that appears in parenthesis ( ) is in the original text. Information that appears in brackets [ ] has been added for clarity.
Footnotes, compiled in Appendix 1 at the end of these histories, further explain a situation or statement, or provide added information.
I am grateful to the Bentley Historical Library for maintaining this information and providing the facilities that permitted the transcription of these documents. Karl Williams
District 2 - Frains Lake School
Superior Township
Washtenaw County, Michigan
This 1941 history of Frains Lake school consists of 4 pages of cursive text; a hand
drawn map of the district indicating the location of the current student residences;
two undated photographs, one showing the exterior of the recently built school with
students in front identified in the caption, and a second photograph of the 1941
students, identified, in front of the school; a series of 5 letters concerning teacher
William Galpin; a newspaper article from the Ann Arbor News dated December 1,
1965; a three page article from the Detroit News Pictorial Magazine dated October
29, 1961 written by Jerry Sullivan; and a three page article with pictures from
Friends Magazine, dated May, 1961.
History of Frain's Lake School District
These are former teachers of Frain's Lake School, as nearly as we could find records of them.
Mary Cole - 1909
Eliza Duris - 1868 Mary Fair - 1908
Lucy Alchie - 1868 Clara Brown - 1907
L.L. Cass - 1870
Florence Comstock - 1870 Grace Duris - 1915
Ella Ide - 1871 Margaret Smith - 1913
James J. Strickland - 1872 Alta Fisher - 1919 Fannie Townsend - 1873 Loretta Lee - 1920
Libbie Vorheis - 1875 Alta Fisher
Lucy Brown - 1875 Laura Meyers 1926
Rosa Burgiss - 1878 Ruth Hedder
Susie Glass - 1879 Harriet Thornbury/Mary Heidenrich
William Galpin - 1880 Mary Underhill
Mattie Pringle - 1880 Esther Gale -1937
Sarah Cougdon - 1880 Mrs. Winifred Thayer 1938
Belle Lambie - 1882 Myrtle Newman - 1938-41
Marge Renwick - 1883 Perry Townsend - 1884 Belle Lambie - 1885 Sarah Keedle George Renwick
The Murray Family
Buddy Jensen's great, great grandfather, Charles Murray, came to the farm that Buddy now lives in the fall of 1829. He came from Orange County, New York, by the way of Erie Canal. He took up 80 acres from the government and the deed of this first 80 acres is signed by John Quincy Adams.
He was accompanied by his two oldest sons, Elijah and James Murray. At this time they were young men in their teens. They built one of the first frame houses in Superior Township. This house was built of hand made brick, made on the banks of Murray's Lake and remains of the old brick kiln can still be seen there. The forms used in shaping the brick are still in good condition. The oak timbers hewn by the great, great grandfather and sons used in the building of this house are now in the tool shed where Buddy goes to look for stray hen's nests occasionally. This house was covered with siding over the brick. In the spring of 1830, the wife of Charles Murray and the five younger children came to join the father and two boys who had preceded them to Michigan the fall before. Buddy's great, great
grandfather only lived a few years after coming here. Also a little daughter of this great, great grandfather died of croup before the father's death. They were both buried on top of the hill, under an oak tree, at Murray's lake, until the pray cemetery was established and then these bodies were removed to the then new cemetery.3 At that time this was all forest here.
The Plymouth Road was at that time the old stage coach road. The home where Willard Geer now lives was called the "Pray Tavern". Elijah Murray married one of the Pray girls and Freeman Galpin married a sister of the girl Elijah Murray married. These two girls were sisters of Willard Geer's grandmother.
The Pray Family
The Prays came to this district in about 1832. The man's name was Eesk Pray. George Washington Pray, son of Eesk Pray, was a member of the first graduating class of the University of Michigan. There were 12 in this class. Mrs. Mary Pray Foster was his granddaughter. She is the teacher of Salem Superior Town Line School.
The original house was a Tavern. It was called the Pray Tavern. The house was destroyed by fire, and then they built the one that now stands. The barn use to be the stage coach station. The barn now belongs to Mrs. Lyke. The cemetery in the district is called the Pray Cemetery.
Geers and Galpins are related to the Prays. Mr. Geer now owns some of the land and the house. Mrs. Lyke, Mr. Geer's sister owns the barns and some of the land.
The Robbery and Murder of Jimmy Richards4
in." The Negro went in. When he got in there he found Jimmy lying on the bed. The Negro said, "What is the matter? Jimmy told the Negro to go out and feed the stock and he would tell him when he came in. The Negro went out and fed the stock. When he came in Jimmy told him that three men had shot him and had taken some of the money. He told the Negro to go and get John Shankland. So the Negro went and got him. Burt Lewis Galpin and his wife were down to Detroit. On his way home he stopped at his dad's. His dad told him what happened and asked him if he wanted to go over to Jimmy's. Burt L.. Galpin saw a bag. He stuck his hand down in it. It had beans in it and at the bottom of it there was a bag of pennies and silver. The doctor came. From the hole where the bullet had gone in, a piece of liver about two inches long was hanging. The doctor cut it off. Jimmy died two days after he was shot. The police were trying to catch the men that had shot Jimmy. The three men lived in Plymouth. On the way down there the three got to drinking hard cider. A U.S. Deputy caught the three robbers and took them to the police Department. When the three men were to have their trial the judge let them go because he wanted his own men to catch them. Lyons girl friend was sick. The doctor told her she would not live. They asked her if she had anything to say to anybody. She said, Yes." So she told the police how the three men had planned to kill and rob Jimmy.
The Ghost that Wasn't There
Once a man worked for Burt Galpin. One night he went to Ann Arbor and went into a saloon and got drunk. After a while he started to go home. When he got at the Dixboro Cemetery, he though he saw a ghost. The next day at breakfast he told Mr. Galpin about the ghost. For the next few weeks he wouldn't go away at night. And he said when he would run a ghost would run and when he would stop the ghost would stop, too.
Ice cutting on Frain's lake
Until a few years ago the people of this neighborhood used to cut ice from Frain's Lake. It was taken to Ypsi, where it was sold. One day when Linus Galpin was skating on Frain's Lake, he was just skating along looking at his skates when he came to a place where the men had taken the ice out. He fell in. There was a skim of ice which had frozen over since the ice was taken out. This was just before all the workmen started for home. When Linous Galpin fell in the water there were men there to help him out. It was about the year of 1900 when the people quit taking ice off Frain's Lake. Now the lake is used for skating and fishing. They do not swim in Frain's Lake because they think there is no bottom to it. The children that go to the school are entertained each year by the ice on the lake. Most all the children play on the ice and a lot of them skate and the others slide on sleds. When the lake is frozen over hard enough some people take there cars out on the ice and make the cars slide all over the lake.
During the civil war.
Making Movies
Last year Mr. Shumaker made movies of the school children in Frain's Lake School. He made one of us children sliding down hill. Then about a week afterward he came over to school and asked our teacher if he could make one of us in school. She told him he could. He took our picture studying and then he took one when we went out for noon. He took one of us coming to school in the morning. He says he's going to take some more pictures of us this summer. He has shown the pictures to our parents and other schools. He shows other picture at some of our P.T.A. meetings. Movies are Mr. Shumakers' hobby.
Pupils of Frain's Lake school. Teacher: Myrtle Kring Newman
Eighth grade Seventh grade We have no fourth Earl Hogan Lee Boatwright grade pupils Leona Sanocki
Sixth grade. Fifth grade. Third grade. Clara Be Gole Keith Galpin Jack Porterfield Alvin Hogen
Neita Hogan Edgar Wylie Melvin Hagan
Danel Jensen Iva Mae Spangler Nathen Judson
Dorothy Porterfield Winifred Wylie
[The list above is continued on the hand drawn map of student residences on the following page.]
Second grade First grade Beginners
Joanne Galpin Emil Sattler Catherine Fisbeck Wilfred Judson Mary Thornbury Ruth Hogan Ronald Krull Richard Lowery Roy Steel
Jackie Wade Richard Huebles
[The picture of the Frains Lake school house is estimated to date from 1890 and contains the following list of students]
From L to R
Eugene Staebler B - Geo. Geer
Frankie Galpin Two small ones by fence Altman, Koch B (back) - Teresa Nanry Earnie Galpin
F (front)- May Galpin Large one by fence John Cook Teacher - Carrie Crippen Large girl - Lottie Waulbatch In front of teacher - May Howard Leonard Gale by fence
Florence Geer Bertha Koch
Albert Staebler Eugene Koch
Minnie Galpin
[The picture of students contains the notation "Frains Lake School - Busley '39. The students are identified below the picture.]
Top Row - Left to Right
Lee Boatwright, Ivan Woodard, Donald Huebler, Arthur Porterfield, Ruth Porterfield, Leona Sanocki
Second Row
Jack Porterfield, Spencer Hammond, Buddy Jensen, Myrtle K. Newman Teacher, Dorothy Porterfield, Keith Galpin.
Third Row
Ronald Krull, Joanne Galpin, Richard Lowery, Norman Jenserg, Jackie Wade, Wilfred Judson, Nathan Judson, Roy Steele.
Front Row
District #3 - Free Church School
Superior Township
Washtenaw County, Michigan
This 1941 history of Free Church school consists of 4 typewritten pages.
History of Free Church District
Located in the eastern part of Superior Township on the east side of the
Gotfredson Road, halfway between the Ford and Cherry Hill Roads, stands a neat little red brick school house, called the "Free Church School".
At the present writing at 9:00 A.M. each day, fifteen children ranging in ages from five to fourteen years happily take their seats ready for what the day may bring. These children are; Beginner Shirley Clough; First Grade: Marcia Caroen, Jackie Cyr, Peter DeKlein and Iva Lou Kahrl; Third Grade: Ellen Caroen, Ward Conklin, Richard DeKarske and Rena Bell Smith; Fourth Grade: Amy Trowbridge and Wilma Lee Walls; Fifth Grade: Charles Hanchett and Joseph Stuky; Eighth Grade: Virginia Caroen and Edwin Conklin.
The Free Church district is honored by having had the first school in Superior Township. It was built on the southwest corner of what is now Gotfredson and Cherry Hill roads. Not much is known of this building but it is supposed to have been used by both the Free Church and Kimmel children.
In 1827 a log building was erected where the present school now stands. The first teacher, being Pamelia Patterson, drew the wage of $1.00 per week. At the close of her first year she married and her sister Delight taught the school the next year. The date of building the second school is not known, but it was a red frame structure. The third, a brick building, was erected in 1871 and remodeled in 1905.
There is a great contrast in the interior of the present building to that of the earlier ones. The first school was probably heated by a huge fireplace. The next ones in line were heated by a large square wood-stove standing in the center of the room. This type of stove took pieces of wood or chunks about three feet long. This wood could be bought and delivered for $2.62 ½ per cord. Near the stove was very comfortable but a short distance away one found himself rather chilly. The lighting was very poor and on cloudy dismal days it was next to impossible to see, but this did not worry the children. The teacher's desk stood on a platform in the front of the room while the children's seats and desks were nothing more than benches around three sides of the room, the boys sitting on one side and the girls on the other. As the classes were called to recite the boys and girls would come before the teacher, remain standing while reciting,
answering, if possible, when called upon. When this class was finished they were sent back to their seats and the next class called. So on, day in and day out.
Some of the children were very large, in fact they could hardly be called children, but almost grown-ups. They went to school during the winter months, more to throw the teacher out than to be taught. The smaller children went during the summer months, as they could not wade the winter snows nor stand the cold weather as the older ones could.
Arithmetic, Sill's Grammar and later Bookkeeping, Civil Government and Launder's Reader were added.
The enrollments were usually very large, the largest being in1861 with sixty pupils ranging from 9 years to 21 years.
The school yard was enclosed by a five foot board fence, which necessitated frequent repairs due to the rough usage it received. The playground was none too large for these children, so J.G. Rooke leased enough land to make a half acre, providing the school board reserved him the right to build a five foot fence on the north and east sides at the cost of $50.00. This right was given him.
Some of the early teachers were Pamelia Patterson, 1827; Delight Patterson, 1828; Eliza Sly, 1863; A.J. Murry, 1866; part of the time he acted as Director of the school board and part of the time as teacher, at which time teacher's wage greatly raised, but lowered again when Agnes Bell became teacher in 1867. Others were Sara Eddy and Mary Killen in 1868.
Today we find our school much more comfortable. A janitor is hired to do the work. At this writing the janitor is George Kregg. Each morning he goes to school to build up the furnace fire, sweep, dust, and to perform all duties necessary to make ready for the day.
Schools begins at 9:00 A.M. and closes at 4:00 P.M. The seats are movable and adjustable, the girls and boys being seated about where it pleases them most. A large slate blackboard extends across the front of the room. Also a portable blackboard is put to a great deal of use. The children enjoy electric lights on dark and stormy days, which is indeed a great contrast to the earlier schools. There are also the most modern maps and globes, a kindergarden table, sand table, piano, victrola and a radio, which were not thought of in earlier days.
The system is graded from Beginners through the Eighth Grade. A special course of study from Lansing is closely followed, in which the children are greatly interested. The lessons mastered are Reading, Arithmetic, Spelling, Geography, Penmanship, Expression, Hygiene, Science, Art and Music.
The playground is supervised either by the teacher or a capable boy or girl. The games they play are seasonable; jumping rope, marbles and baseball in spring;
baseball also in the fall and snow projects during the winter months. There are swings and sturdy teeters, foot balls and kindergarden balls. There seems to be no lack of amusement for larger nor small children. They all can keep busy and happy and by thus doing so, very few difficulties have to be ironed out under this supervised method.
At Christmas time the children entertain the parents and friends with a delightful program to fit the occasion, songs being sung, recitations given and a beautifully trimmed and electric lighted tree displayed. Gifts are usually exchanged among the children. All other special days such as: Halloween, Thanksgiving, St. Valentine's Day, Easter etc., are observed in some such manner.
During the year the children are taught songs and dances and at an appointed time during May, they, with other children of the county, exhibit their skill in a form of a Festival given in the Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor.
Organized 4H Clubs, of which a mother, father or teacher is a leader, are
enjoyed by the children. These clubs offer sewing, canning, food preparation and stock projects.
Now let us look back to the early eighteen hundreds. In this neighborhood at present, we have two families who are direct descendants of the very earliest settlers, these being George McKim, who lives on the land purchased from the government in 1826 by his grandparents, George and Charlotte McKim, and William Rooke, a descendant of Robert and Cassa Ann Rooke, who settled here in 1843. At this time it will do well to mention another family of the earlier settlers, George and his sister Maude Dennis whose parents George B. and Lenora W. Dennis settled on the present farm east of the McKim's in 1867, previously settled by his father in 1865. Although they are not members of the immediate community, they and their parents have always been socially connected with the Free Church neighborhood. These three families, down through the generations to the present, have been hard workers and well deserve the success which they have gained.
Other first settlers are Ebenezer Stacy, John Bramble, John Newell, Moore Spear, Robert Bar, Hiram Tooker, John Brewer, and Hudson Robinson, all settling here in 1826.
A few later ones are Isaac L. DeNike, G.W. Hoff, John Rooke, J. S. McKim and A.J. Murry.
The early homes were built of logs and at that time were quite livable since there was a great amount of timber surrounding them. The interior of these homes were quite typical of any early log home.
In winter months the roads were impassable and in none too good condition the rest of the year, as a great amount of this country was black swamp which made it difficult to build roads. Transportation was done mostly by oxen team and heavy wagons.
At one time where the Gotfredson Road now crosses the Ford Road was what one might term a "four corners", there being a store, post office, blacksmith shop and a cooper shop. On the south-west corner of this junction, in 1855, the first church of Superior Township was erected by Col. Brewer and Abel Parkhurst. As neighbors and friends of all denominations were free to worship here, it was given the name "Free Church". For several years the church was closed, so in March 1935, it was razed, from which the lumber and eight stained and leaded windows were donated to a Lincoln Park, Michigan, Methodist parish to build a new church.1
At one time there were many Indians around this part. Arrow heads, Indian hammers and other relics have been uncovered. One time an Indian came to Mrs. McKim's house asking for something to eat. She being an extremely kind soul, buttered generous slices of bread with good rich home-made butter and gave them to the Indian. He gazed at them for a moment or two, waked away from the house, scraped the butter from the bread and ate the dry bread.
Some other interesting facts are found in an old account book, dated back to 1827, which George McKim now has in his possession. We find that butter could be purchased at 12 ½¢ per pound, potatoes 17¢ per bushel, 5 ¾ lbs. pork for 57½¢, tobacco 17¢ per pound. There is also a record of three days working wage of $2.50. If a wagon were rented, the charges were 38¢ for one day, 75¢ for two days.
These facts were collected and submitted by
District #4 - Crippen School
Superior Township
Washtenaw County, Michigan
This 1941 history of Crippen school consists only of two pages of cursive writing.
The History of Crippen School
The Crippen family lived in Albany county New York. To them was born a boy in the year of 1827 by the name of Roger. The family was thinking of coming West, so in 1828 they started to what is now Michigan.
They went by the way of the Eire canal. The captain of the boat had a very bad way of saying things he did not like, which we call swearing. Roger soon had learned it too so his father took him into hand. It was bad for Roger because his father was a minister and Roger soon forgot the captain's language.
The boat docked at Detroit and the Crippens were on their way. There were about six of them. They took an oxen on a long and weary ride to what is now known as Dixboro. It rained and the roads were bad. Then other times the sun was hot. They traveled for at least two weeks. They settled in a house that now belongs to Mr. Benns.
The Crippen children attended school on Stommel Hill which was the first school of District 4, Superior Township. The children were punished by whip or by the teacher's ruler. They had no pencils because they were not known then. They used slates and they had a box stove. You may have seen one but if you have not it is a long steel box, which they put a log in all at once instead of many pieces. Each child brought wood for the fire. The children had to sit on benches. The school at that time had no grades. They just read a book until they finished it even if they had to wait till the next year. They brought their own ink, which they made themselves and wrote with a quill pen.
The teacher was paid $1.75 a week. A man taught in the winter and a women taught in the summer, because the bigger boys came in the winter and the girls came in the summer. They had school on the lawn and so the bigger boys dropped cherries to the girls, and small ones. They had a hand bell and had no lights so you see we have a lot more then the old schools had.
Before they tore the old school down it was valued at $30.00. The second school was built in 1870 and was a frame school too. The school board bought the land for $24.00. The school had desks and they were hollow so the smaller ones could sleep in them in the afternoon. The hours were the same as today, starting at 9 A.M. and closing at 4 P.M. There was still no lights or pencils or plaster. The children drank from a pail & later they got cups. When the school was built there was still no grades. During the years the school acquired bulletin boards, lights, black board, window shadows and etc.
The teacher was still paid a small amount. They were paid according to what time of year it was. If he or she was the first in the season they got good pay, but if they came later in the year they got a smaller amount. The teacher was not required to have a college education.
Maxine Meyer - Douglas Benns are in the beginners
Ruth Schermerhorn - Keith Kimberly - Jimmy Wilbur are in the third grade. George Batson - Donald Meyer are in the fourth grade.
Bob Smily is in the 5th grade
Billy Mitchell - Jim Murphy are in the 6th grade.
District 5 - Gale School
Superior Township
Washtenaw County, Michigan
This 1941 Gale school history consists of 5 pages of cursive writing. No other
material pertaining to the school is in the file.
Gale School History Superior Township No. 5 Washtenaw County. May 1941.
The first building used as a school by Superior District no. 5 was a small school frame building located on the south east corner of what is now the corner of Hickman and Vreeland Rds. Located as was stated by Jessie Kudle "in the Hiscock garden." From a picture on an old map this school location was before 1857.
About 1870 the old school was torn down and a new one was built across the road on a knoll, just east and north of the old building. George Gale gave the land to the district and it was for him the school was named Gale school. The building was built by Lute McCormack and is still being used (with many improvements.) Like most schools of its time, the arrangement was benches around the walls with a large box stove in the middle of the room. The teacher had a table for a desk and the children came up to her and stood to recite.
Families in the district around 1865-70 were Stedt, Worden, Linus, Hiscock, Geo. Thompson, George Gale, Keylanel, Newton, Keedle, Woolsey, and Farlyman.
In those days teachers only taught a term in a school. The earliest record obtained was that of Liby Hawkins, who taught in the first school about 1865. Mary Fair, later Mrs. Linus Hiscock, also taught in the old school. There is a record of only three men teachers. Fred Goodspeede, Ernest Twist and John Judson. The later stayed only about a month. It is said one day he stood all day with a chair in one hand and a club in the other. At the close of school that day he set the chair down, took his club with him, and never came back.
The oldest school records obtained date 1881. Belle Lambie (Scotney) was the teacher. In those days the teacher received her certificate by taking an oral examination given by the county examiner, elected by the people. These examiners were usually well known men in the community. Many times the examiners had little or no "schooling." On one occasion Mrs. Scotney took such an examination. The examiner had the question on one sheet of paper and the answer on another kept out of sight.
This time he got the answers mixed and when Mrs. Scotney gave the correct answers he marked her off ten points. His mistake didn't fail her and she got her certificate and also the school. Mrs. Scotney taught four terms which was a long time in those days. She was such a good teacher little Walter Hiscock's mother sent him at three and she taught him how to talk.
From 1884 to 1900 there were several teachers.
1884 Frannie Downer 1884 Anna Page
1885 May Welsh 1885 Maud Shankland
1886 Ella Stevens 1886 Lillian Crippen
1889 Sarah Keedle 1891 Sara Brown
1892 Ernie Twist 1893 Mamie Shuart
1894 Alice Moor 1900 - 1941
1900 Edith Judson 1908 Carrie Crippen
1910 Marjorie Hiscock 1913 Clara Wadham
1914 Lillian Crippen 1915 Roverta Hickman
1916 Kate Cain 1916 Mildred Wilson
1917 Letha Turk 1917 M. Wright
1919 Roverta Hickman 1921 Fannie Eddie
1922 Mrs. Kelly 1923 Irene Wilbur
1924 Gertrude Hiscock
1925 (Mrs.) Elaine Radky stayed until 1937 1937-39 (Mrs.) Marion Bennett
1939-41 (Mrs.) Ida May Bell
Saleries ranged from $35 to $130 in 1928. School books in olden days were scarce.
There was usually one copy and the children took turns using it. Later, the children brought their own books. Some of the text books used at Gale were:
Readers - Harpers Sheldons grammars - Reed, Kellogg Tarbells Arithmetics - Robinson, Rudel, Wentworth Geography - Harpers, Potters
Physology - Stelb
In recording the children's progress references were made by using
numbers such as, No. 4 needs pushing in arithmetic to keep up, No. 10 is backward in History, No. 3 nice boy but backward in Reading.
The largest enrollments on record for Gale School is 18 (1891). The average number of pupils through out the history of the school is 12.
Enrollment lists for the years 1884 to 1908 including these names as beginning within these years.
Hiscock Walter,- Lulua,- Willie Hickkley Porter - Wray
Kosh Hernon - Manda - John - Martha - Emma Tibles Mary - Frank - Martha
Whalen Ella
Filkins Arthur
Moor Alice
Willcox Willie - Eddie
Russell Ernest - Floyed - Ray - Edith Spoonce Mammie - Russell
Crippen Carrie Goodspeed Bennie
Twist Clayton - Pearl
Hickman Edna - Willie - Blanche
Campbell William Hawkins Frank
Ballow Cora
Davis Lewis
Harrison George
Weylie Sadie
Mansfield Cora
Crane Harry - Nettie Loomis Millie
Smith Pearl - Earl Mulholland Willie
Goodspeed Ima - Ernest - Earl Braun Minnie - Clara Russell Hazel - Clarence
Hart Lillian
Brillis Harry
Hickman Pearl - Reverla
Children beginning between 1900 - 1910
Downer Robert
Whalen James
Hickman Arlie - Ivalita
Hiscock Gertrude - Florence Canfields Clifford - Kosh - Helen Richards Floyed
Broun Geo
Eddie Jessie
These are enrollments of children beginning between 1910 - 1930. These are the lists I have collected for these dates.
Graichen Ralph - Marion Bennett Billie - Trudie
Wilbur Maxine
Hickman Wilbur - Robert - Madaline
Bird June
Spooncer Ruth Hiscock Marion
1930 - 1940 Graichen Robert
Yenkel Margaret - Betty - Roy Wilbur Richard - Mary Alice
Brown Anne
Kingsbury Joan - Keith - John Allen, Larry Hickman Nora - William
Start Alice - George Baldus Donald - Billy Boogardus Robert - George
The records of the Board of Education show that these people have had a very active part in the affairs of the Gale School.
Walter Hiscock George Wilbur Russell Spooncer Edward Baldus Cecil Graichen Mrs. Harry Bennett
Ralph Dunham Arlie Hickman
Mrs. Mable Hiscock
To date Mr. Graichen has the record for being a member of the board for the greatest number of years.
Today Gale School is a very fine modern rural school due to the fine cooperation of the Board of Education and the people in the district. Their interest has kept Gale School in line with the times. The school ground is equipped with swings, teeter-board, merry-go-round.
A new well was dug in 1926. In 1938 a new water system was installed with electric pump and cabinet sink.
In 1935 movable swivel chair and desk were provided for the children. A new foundation was placed under the school in 1939. And the school was entirely refurnished. Very pretty draperies were hung at the windows.
Mrs. Aurilia Erickson has taught music in Gale School since 1929. 1940 Gale School obtained musical instruments for a rhythm band.
Visual Education had an important part in Gale curriculum in 1939 - 1940 by having motion pictures twice a month.
1940 - 41 saw Gale School with a new set of World Book Encyclopedia and Picture Knowledge.
Gale School has an active social as well as Educational life. An active P.T.A. has its meetings at the school once a month.
The women of the district meet in the homes once a month for child study. The district has had many active 4H clubs.
The school's Civic Health Club takes care of the citizenship and health projects of the school.
Arbor Day 1941. Gale School planted an Elm tree in the school yard. A school news paper has been started and hopes to perpetuate the history of Gale School.
District 6 - Bennett School
Superior Township
Washtenaw County, Michigan
This 1941 history of Bennett school consists of five cursive written pages and a sixth
page containing a hand drawn map of the district and two photographs. One
photograph is of the school and is labeled "Bennett School 1941 - Mrs. Ruth
Campbell teacher. The second is of 5 students near the building identified as Betty
Jean Keller, Billy Grannis, Charles Hewlett, Arthur Keller, Bobby Wilbanks.
The History of Bennett School
The first building was located just across the road south of the present site. It was a little old building with a loft overhead. Sometimes the older boys used to climb up into it and greatly annoy the teachers by throwing down things on the heads of the children below. Mr. Voorhees then owned the farm, now the property of Mr. E.R. Bryant which he recently purchased from Mr. Patten. He had given permission to place the school house on his land but would only allow the school barely room for the building. The school then faced Geddes Road, the other three sides being so closely fenced in that there was scarcely room for a path. There were shutters on all the windows which had to be closed every night after school. The children crawled out the windows and over the fence in order to close the shutters so they could be hooked on the inside. The school board tried many times to purchase an acre of land from Mr. Voorhees so that the children might have a playground and not have to play in the road, but he would not sell.
Miss Julia Bacon was one of the early teachers who taught in this building. She later went as a missionary to the India, spending nine years there. She then returned to the United States and lived the rest of her life in Ypsilanti.
Later this building was torn down and a small one room building was then erected on the same spot. This was sometimes called "The Little White School." The seats were wooden benches nailed to the floor. In one corner of the room was a narrow shelf on which were put the lunch pails. Chunks of wood were piled on the floor in the opposite corner. Near this corner was a small box stove which was not nearly adequate for heating the school especially on cold windy days for the floors had such large cracks that the wind fairly whistled up thru them and often both teacher and pupils must huddle about the stove to be at all comfortable. One of these large cracks was especially significant as it was this line that the teachers meant when they called the spelling class and told them to "toe the mark."
books were examined, and the child who had made the most progress and improvement since the last examination was given a prize. These sisters were often invited over to examine the copy books and judge as to which child deserved the prize. It was for this family that the school was named.
In the early days there was a township official called the Inspector whose duty it was to visit the rural schools in his township. Whenever he visited this school he was always invited to the Bennett home for dinner. At that time there was no well on the school grounds, and the children were sent to the Bennett home for water. It was considered quite a privilege to go after water and thus get away from school for a short time. The Bennett's had beautiful flower gardens and used often to give permission to the children to pick a bouquet to take back to school. They seemed glad to have the children come and often gave them free range of the house to romp and play games as they wished. Back of the house was a great woods thru which ran a little singing brook. In warm weather the whole school would go and eat lunch near this brook. The woods have long since been "logged off" and the little brook has dwindled to a mere trickle.
At that time anyone who was not a graduate of some college or normal, and who wished to teach school had to appear before the Township Inspector and pass a satisfactory test. There were three grades of certificates granted. The first grade certificate good for six month, the second grade certificate good for two years, and the third grade certificate good for three years. Sad to say many of these Township Inspectors were rather ignorant, uneducated men, and in some cases, knew much less than the teacher. Much to the amusement of the children, the Township Inspector used sometimes to try to teach some of the classes. Spelling classes were not too difficult for them usually, because by carefully watching the text, he could tell whether or not the child had correctly spelled the word given. But reading classes were another story, because sometimes words would appear beyond the ken of the Township Inspector. For many days after one inspector visited Bennett School, the children laughed about his calling on one and another of them to "read the next stanza," when it was prose they were reading that day. Another thing that amused the children was that he gave them an arithmetic problem that he was sure would have them "stumped completely", when it was so simple that they gave him the answer immediately without using a pencil to work the problem.
Another one of the early teachers of Bennett School was Mr. Hiram Bacon, nephew of Miss Julia Bacon. One day it was necessary for him to go to the Town Inspector to take his examination so as to renew his certificate. His brother
substituted for him for one day, but at night he forgot to return the keys of the school house to their rightful owner. The next morning when Mr. Hiram Bacon reached the school house, he found that he had no keys, and his brother had gone several miles away to another school. Nothing daunted, he placed a large plank against one of the windows, opened it, and assisted the children thru this improvised doorway. For that day this was the only means of entrance or exit. Mr. Hiram Bacon is now living in Pontiac, is nearly ninety years old and blind.
Another very early teacher was Miss Kate Fisher. She taught Bennett School more than eighty years ago for a salary of One Dollar a week and board around. She later married Mr. Andrew Campbell and they were the parents of Mr. Dan Campbell who at one time owned much of the land both sides of Packard Road between Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. It was from Mr. Dan Campbell that Platt
Scotney to whom we are indebted for much of this information concerning Bennett School.
Mrs. Scotney - nee Isabelle Lambie - attended Bennett School from primer days on. She was later employed as teacher and after teaching a few terms of rural school attended Michigan State Normal College graduating in the Class of 1885.
Mrs. Scotney said that when she taught Bennett School there were no books or equipment of any kind provided by the district except a dictionary. At that time rural schools were not graded as they are now, but rather divided into classes, the primary classes, the intermediate classes, and the upper classes. There were no standard text books, so each child brought whatever text books the family happened to have on hand. This made a most heterogeneous collection but the teacher had to manage as best she could. Schools were usually divided into two terms, one beginning in November and lasting until March which the older boys and girls of the district attended, and the second term beginning in April and lasting until July or August. Mrs. Scotney says that many times during the winter months she used to start school at eight o'clock and did not close until 4:30 in the afternoon, or later, in order to get all the classes in.
This clipping was taken from a November, 1938 issue of the "Ypsilanti Daily Press".
Superior Township
"This week we will move up into Superior Township and read over the school report for District No. 6 for the years 1886. The teacher for that year was Miss Martha Jane Gill, daughter of George and Susanna Gill. She married Mr. Edwin C. Warner, May 16th of the following year and is now living with her son, Hon. Joseph E. Warner". (Mrs. Warner has since this writing passed away.)
"It may be a source of pleasure to Mrs. Warner and to such of her pupils as are still with us to read the following list of pupils she taught, taken from the
'Teacher's Daily Register'. The age of each pupil is shown following the name. Hiram Bacon 14, Harry 12, Mary 9, - Kittie Babcock 14, Hattie 11, Frank 8, - Julia Camp 8, - Daniel Clark 12, James 10, Willie 7, - Minnie Crippen 8, Eaton, Rhoda 15, Kittie 13, Mary Gray 12, Emma 10, Alfred 7, Ella Howard 11, Arla 6, Cynthia 16, -Anna Lambie 15, Mary 14, Lizzie 9, Frank 12 - Miller, Jerome 12, Frank 6, - Bacon, Helen 6, - Stephenson, Hatie 15, Howard 11, - Townsend, Emma 14 - Vorhes, George 10, - Pettibone, Lyman - Crippen, Ella 8.
The teacher for the year 1867 was Harriet A. Thomas and substantially the same with the following additions: - Lambie, Frank 7, - Camp, Mary 8, - Dan Duyn, Eva 11, Clara 7, - Ellis, James 13, Elizabeth 7.
In 1868 Irving Glass was the teacher and John S. Miller, director. Irving Glass was the father of Denton Glass, now a resident of Ypsilanti and a conductor on the New York Central.
The teachers following Mr. Glass, from 1869 to 1890 inclusive, were Priscilla O. Boyce 1869, Libbie Douglas 1869, Anna Lambie 1870 and 1872, Hattie
The School Directors for the same period were Jos S. Miller, J.H. Bacon, A.J. Knapp, Thos. Casey, Jas. F. Rounsiper, Geo. M. Voorhees, Wm Scotney 1833 - 1890 inclusive.
Far be it from me to suggest that there is anything romantic about such prosaic things as school records, but a quick perusal of the foregoing will bring at least one romance to light. It will be noted that Wm Scotney held tight the job of School Director for at least seven years and that about the middle of this term a young lady known as Belle Lambie appeared as teacher. She clung to this name during 1886 & 1887 but the next year she taught as Belle L. (Lambie) Scotney. The fact they were married March 27, 1888 and for fifty years, lacking two and one-half months, lived life's journey together.
Cooperators for this week, Louis Foerster and Frank Lambie."
Miss Anna Martin, whose parents lived on Clark Road, taught Bennett school during 1890, 1891 and 1892. Some of her pupils still living near here are Nina and Louie Casey who still live on their farm in this district, their home being on Prospect Road, and their sister Hattie who is now Mrs. Wiard; Charlie La Forge who is principal of a High School in Lansing, Cora La Forge who is now Mrs. Dwight Peck and lives on Forest Avenue in Ypsilanti, Clinton La Forge of Cherry Hill Road; Bert and Charlie Cannon, business men of Detroit; Matthew Sincule who owns a meat market on Cross Street, Ypsilanti. The late Mr. Victor Diest who owned the store on Cross Street was also a pupil of Miss Martin's. Soon after this Miss Martin went west and taught a few years but later came back and married Mr. Wm Connor. They still live on their farm on Geddes Road just east of the school house. Their daughter, Miss Helen, who is teaching now in the public schools at Ecorse, taught Bennett school in 1925 and 1926. Some of the pupils in school at that time were Mills, Emily, Marvin, Norman, Beverley, Graydon, Marjorie; Grapp, William Jr., Luther, Donna; Gale, Lauretta and Edwin; Hubbell Thelma; Griffith, Fredrick.
In 1913 the school district bought an acre of ground from Mr. Henry Platt who had bought the Bennett farm and the school building was moved across the road to its present site. Soon after this play ground equipment such as swings, trapeze and giant strides were purchased and the school grounds landscaped. The Misses Carrie and Lillian Crippen taught the school each serving for several terms apiece.
From 1928 to 1931 Miss Elizabeth Engle was teacher. She is now treasurer of the school board.
For the school year 1939-40 Miss Florence Stevens of Ann Arbor was the teacher. Only four children attended school for the full school year. They were Frida and Raymond Keller of Prospect Road and Betty Jean and Arthur Keller of La Forge Road.
Mrs. Ruth Campbell of Ypsilanti was the teacher 1940-41; children attending school that year were Betty, Bobby, and Claude Wilbanks, Billy Grannis, Arthur and Betty Keller and Charles Hewlett. Betty Wilbanks who was the only eighth grader did much of the work in writing up the History of Bennett School.
District 7 - Kimmel School
Superior Township
Washtenaw County, Michigan
This 1941 Kimmel school history consists of 7 pages of cursive text; two pages on
which one photograph appears on each, one being a picture of the school and the
second a photograph labeled Kimmel pupils 1940-41; and a hand drawing of the
"old" school's exterior made by Harold Parks, Director.
Kimmel School
Henry Kimmel is the ancestor of Dist. No. 7 Superior township. The district is named for him. Mr. Kimmel, a native of Somerset Co. Pa., moved to the mid-west settling near Kaskaskia, Ill. Not quite satisfied with the land there, he made a trip to Mich. Delighted with the country, he took up 320 acres of land in what is now Superior township Washtenaw County.
In 1825 he moved his family and goods here. He brought an ox cart with fellies7 eight inches wide, drawn by four yoke of oxen; the cart being filled with ox yokes and feed for horses. He had several yoke of oxen and a four-horse team. Among the household furniture, tents, and cooking utensils was a barrel churn. This enabled the people to enjoy fresh butter on the way.
Arriving in Kimmel district Mr. Kimmel built an ashery and pearl ash refinery. Thirty men were employed in this factory in the wilderness. One ton of saleratus (baking soda) was taken every ten days to Detroit and sold for one hundred twenty dollars a ton.
Shortly after Kimmel's arrival every settler had a cow due to Mr. Kimmel's foresight in bringing his cattle from Illinois.
Money was still due him from Kaskaskia and in 1826 a payment was made in the form of three hundred hogs driven through the woods all the way to Michigan. These were butchered and sold to the settlers.
In four years Mr. Kimmel had his three hundred twenty acres cleared and under cultivation.
Mrs. Sovengire Kimmel, Henry's wife, was a very remarkable woman. In addition to caring for her household of forty people, she cared for and bled the sick, extracted teeth, and in general was a kind and tender-hearted neighbor. She lived to the ripe old age of eighty-two as did her husband.
In 1831 our township was separated from Panama8 and Mr. Kimmel was the one who named it Superior because he said it was superior to any township
anywhere.
Mr. Kimmel had eight sons one of whom was supervisor in 1854.
A portion of the original three hundred twenty acres remained in the Kimmel family until 1939 when Ralph Kimmel sold his farm to Emory Mulholland who still owns it and is at present Supervisor of Superior township. Mr. Ralph Kimmel resides in Ypsilanti.
The descendents of the very early settlers have gone with the exception of Mr. Raymond Clark's family who lives at Cherry Hill and Harris Roads. His mother was Minnie Collins whose people were early residents.
It might be interesting to note that in 1837 there were 1,378 residents in Superior. Today there are about 1,100 people.
II Schools
The first school attended by the children of what is now Kimmel district was in the Free Church neighborhood. Some say it was at the corner of Godferson and Cherry Hill roads. It was a log building built in 1827. Miss Pamila Pattison was the first teacher. Her wages were one dollar a week. She taught one year and then married David Frost. Her sister Delight taught the next year.
The first authentic record we have about a school in our own district is a copy of the lease of the present school site by L.L. Kimmel to the school district in 1855. However, we know that a school was built previous to that time probably in the 1830's. It sat across the section line (Harris) road from where the present school sits. Mrs. Scotney, now eighty two years old, told us at a teacher's meeting that her mother told of the Kimmel school there. She said it was used as the town house and the men had come there to vote when she was young. It was probably a frame building.
The present site was leased by L.L. Kimmel, a son of Henry Kimmel, to be used for school grounds for a period of ninety-nine years. That period will be up in 1954 thirteen years hence. A description of the land taken from the copy of the lease follows: Eight by ten rods square bounded on the north and east by land of L.L. Kimmel (now belonging to Earl Knaggs) on the south by land of Albert Todd (now owned by A. Jorgensen) and on the west by section line road between Sec's 22 and 23. (Now Harris Rd.) being on the South West corner of North 1/2 of South West 1/4 of Sec. 23. Town 2 south of Range seven east.
The district was to pay Mr. Kimmel for these premises, rent of five cents to be paid in fifty years and two cents to be paid in forty-nine years. The property was to revert to Mr. Kimmel or his heirs if not used for school purposes.
This lease was copied in the school record in 1865. Those owning property in the school district to that time were the following: J. Gale, E.W. Cole, Henry Gale, Ruben Kimmel, L.L. Kimmel, A.J. Holton, Simon Welch, David Lafurge, Stephen Hutchinson, John Worden, Albert Todd, Jas. O. Kawonse, Wm.Goodell, A.J. Gale, N.F. Mann, Adam Thumm, M. Rowen, Richard West, J.L. Miller, Samuel Markham. The first record of school meeting which we can find was held Sept. 4, 1865 at the school house. It was voted at that meeting to raise by tax thirty-four dollars to pay for school district records; to raise thirty dollars for the director for six years services, 1860 - 1866, and twenty dollars for ten cords of wood "to be delivered at the school house in the yard corded up snug by Albert Todd." The meeting adjourned.
The year following (1866) we find forty-two dollars were raised to pay charges on school teachers. This was probably the teacher's board.
In 1867 they voted to have a man teach the winter school and to use two-thirds of the district or public money to pay for the winter school. They also voted to levy and collect by rate bill twenty-one dollars for wood.
In the record for 1868 we find this item. "Voted that the teacher board her or him self and wages accordingly at some convenient place". "Also voted that the parents of scholars shall visit the school in school hours at least once a month."
next Candlemas year, four hundred dollars to be raised that year and the remainder the next year.
In 1873 they voted three hundred dollars for the school and chose a building committee; Samuel Markham, A.H. Collins and Albert Kimmel. They also voted to give bonds for the sum sufficient to finish the building.
The school meeting in 1875 was very important. The following motions were made and carried.
1. To have seven consecutive months school. 2. To raise fifty dollars for incidental expense.
3. The old school was sold for twenty dollars and fifty cents to W. Strang.
4. A new toilet built of brick or stone 6' X 10' with a double partition of oak plank and with doors in each end.
5. That money be raised to pay off the entire school debt that year. 6. That thirty dollars be raised to pay the teacher and ninety dollars
to pay the teacher's board.
The next year they decided to employ a female teacher and to pay enough wages so she could hire her board during the winter.
A discussion on having a certain set of text books must have taken place in 1879 as a motion made in that year to that effect was not carried.
In 1881 the school building was insured for six hundred dollars.
In '82 a fence was built on the north and east sides of the school yard. Also, the woodwork on the school was painted white.
About this time board money for the teacher seems to have been dropped. We find a motion made and carried that the teacher should not receive
compensation for board for 1883.
Some early school officers were: E.M. Cole, Stephen Hutchinson, Albert Todd, L.L. Kimmel, Jacob Strang, Hamilton Collins, Oliver Markham, Albert Kimmel.
The first teacher of whom we have a record was Peter T. Gill who taught the winter term of four months in 1865 for thirty-five dollars a month. In '68 Sarah Eddy taught the winter school for seventy-one dollars and fifty cents and boarded herself.
Some other early teachers were:
Miss Althia Totter - six dollars per week with her board paid 1865. Summer, Mary Killen - forty-two dollars - 1866.
Mary J. Glap - Seventy-two dollars. Marie M. Hines - Thirty nine dollars. Elizabeth Bevier - Eighteen dollars. M.L. Upp - Ninety dollars.
Amelia Bonnell Twenty five dollars Carrie V. Potter - Three dollars per week Lidia Day - Four dollars and board. Alys Norton - Three dollars per week Susie Glass - Sixty four dollars.
The early contracts all had the clause written in that the district board could at any time dismiss the teacher and the teacher should receive no compensation there after.
Internal revenue stamps for five cents were placed on each teacher's contract.
There was a well on the property as early as 1875 for we find a bill of fifty cents for cleaning same.
The first clock was purchased in 1880 for two dollars and twenty-five cents. In 1899 the school was painted for ten dollars and seventy-three cents. The only person now living in the district whose name we find on the census list for 1881 is Floyd Markham whose name was placed on the census that year. His son Christopher attended the school through the eighth grade and his grandson Thomas Markham will enter school here next year.
In 1900 a storm house for the school was built of wood and cost one hundred dollars.
A library was established by vote of the district in 1906.
In 1911 an organ was purchased for five dollars. Summer and winter terms were changed to eight months school in 1907 and in 1914 to nine months.
In 1911 Miss Richards the teacher taught two branches of ninth grade. In 1919 there were so few children that the district discussed closing the school but decided to keep it open.
In 1922 a shed was built on the east side of the school for the teacher's car. Those now living in the district who attended school during these years are: Messrs. Ed. Meyer, Fred Meyer, Wm Meyer, Ray Clark, Geo. Knaggs, Harold Parks.
In 1926 the district joined the zone system of supervision by the Normal College under Dr. Pittman. Mr. Hoppes and Mr. Lord were supervisors.
Because the old building was becoming unfit for use the district decided in 1930 to build a new one, the building we are using today.
A building committee was chosen. Emil Lidke Jr., Floyd Markham, and Ralph Kimmel. It is interesting to note that both Mr. Markham and Mr. Kimmel had
ancestors who served on the building committee which built the school which was to be replaced.
After a good deal of discussion and many meetings the following was decided upon. Design No.12 submitted by the Dept. of Public Instruction. The building is of brick veneer twenty-six feet by thirty feet. There is an entry way, a cement porch, and two halls which open into the main room. The building faces west with five large windows on the east. Double shades, light tan in color control the lighting. A jacketed stove and ventilating system sits in the northwest corner. At the time it was built chemical toilets were placed in each hall but as they were found to be unsatisfactory were replaced by outside ones in 1939.
Slate black boards extend the width of the room on the south. There are twenty seats of various sizes, a large work table and chair, and a kindergarten table with six small oak chairs. There is the teacher's desk and chair too, of course. There is one built-in book case and two sectional ones. A piano has replaced the organ. The room is lighted by four electric ceiling lamps of white glass suspended from the ceiling. Hot lunches are prepared during the winter on a two-burner
electric plate. A sanitary water cooler and fountain is kept filled from a sixty foot well driven in 1939. Such is the building today that was built in 1930.
While it was being constructed Mrs. Beulah Bortz, the teacher, taught in the next house to the south on the east side of the road, now occupied by
The new school was constructed by Mr. Ben O. Thorn of Ypsilanti for $2356 which did not include the heating plant and toilets. They were supplied by the School Service Co. and cost [the remainder of this sentence is blank].
This year 1940-41 there are fourteen children attending Kimmel school. They are: Edward Meyer, Isabel Brown, Robert Henderson sixth grade,. Wm. Mulholland and Roman Parks, fifth grade, Richard Brown fourth grade, Barry Johnson third grade, Carl Mulholland, Bernard Meyer and Phyllis Reynolds second grade, Albert Brown, first grade and Robert Meyer, Vivian Meyer and Clarence Reynolds beginners.
Miss Elizabeth Erskine is the teacher. Her salary is one hundred dollars per month for nine months September through May.
Mr. Julius Haab is school commissioner. Mrs. Mildred Robinson is the helping teacher who visits school for a quarter of a day at least four times a year. Music is taught under the direction of Miss Mary Ann Collinge of Mich. State College Lansing.
The present school officers are: Ray Clark director, Ed. Meyer moderator, Mrs. Fred Meyer Treasurer.
A Parent Teacher's Association was formed this year of which Mrs. Harold Parks is president.
The sketch of the old school which we are enclosing was drawn by Mr. Harold Parks from memory.
[This history was followed by the signature of the 14 students] Carl Mulholland - 2nd Grade
Phyllis Reynolds - 2nd Grade Bernard Lee Meyer - 2nd Grade Edward Meyer - 6th Grade Isabel Brown - 6th Grade Robert Henderson - 6th Grade Barry Johnson
Albert Brown Clarence Vivian Meyer Richard Brown Robert James Meyer Roman Parks
Fractional District #1 - Town Line School
Superior Township
Washtenaw County - Michigan
This 1941 history of Town Line school consists of 9 pages of typewritten text,
several of which contain diagrams relating to the school district boundaries, a
drawing of the school; an c1898 photograph of students with cursive text identifying
them, and a copy of an arithmetic grade examination dated February 1900, not
reproduced here. Much of this information appears in a History of Town Line
school prepared by Alice Brinkman Zeigler
9in 1966, revised in 1976. As a 7
thgrader at Town Line school she was involved in preparing this 1941 history. Town
Line school, a fractional school located in Superior Township, had students from the
townships of Northfield. Ann Arbor, and Salem, as well as Superior.
Name and Location The name of our school is Townline School.
It is located on Joy Road on the property once owned by Frank Stafford, but now owned by the school. It is located between Dixboro Road and Voorhies Road, and two main highways, Plymouth Road and the Pontiac Trail.
It got the name Townline because it is located on the line between four townships: Salem, Northfield, Superior and Ann Arbor. It has had no other name. In later years they added Superior on to the end because another school in the county is named Townline and to avoid confusion. The School is located in Superior Township.
[Diagram of location]
The school house was once on the farm of Otto Jedele. It was there between 1825 and 1850. Then it was sold and moved to the Austin farm for about fifty dollars. It was hauled by sixteen or twenty yoke of oxen. That was a real pioneer's job in those days.
The school house was joined to the west side of the Austin farmhouse. Then it was made into a bedroom and a living room. It is now just like part of the house.
There is no record of where the school was for the next sixteen years but in 1866 a new one was built on the present site. It is now seventy five years old. This is like the stone in the wall above the entrance.
Fractional School District
No 1 Erected A.D.1866
child has his own desk. Later they had big seats with the children at a seat. There were four rows with a big aisle in the center.
The girls sat on one side and the boys on the other. The seats in the old days were home made and well cut up and labeled with each ones name or initials. A new entry was added to the building in 1928. That same year a new well was drilled. Burton Batsford and Edward Quackenbush were seat mates, if they could work it right, and usually could. This was about seventy years ago.
They didn't have any lights during the day. If there were doings at night they used kerosene lamps. The only light they did get was from the sunlight through the window. There are four large globes suspended from the ceiling, also an electric stove, electric furnace and an electric clock. The school was wired for electricity in 1929.
The heat they got was from a whaling big stove that took four feet of wood. Next, the school had two stoves and a new method of heating that was supposed to be the latest style in the 1880's. These stoves were two cast iron box stoves which burned wood which was furnished by the lowest bidder in the district.
The stove pipes took a turn down from the stoves and ran under the floor through a tunnel covered with iron sheet with round inch holes through it. The kids thought it was good place to hide pen holders, pencils, and even pennies. That worked all right for a year but the pipes got clogged and on cold mornings they had a smoke house because the furnace is an electrically run coal furnace with an automatic thermostat. It keeps the room temperature always the same, humidifiers to keep air moist and cut down on colds, fans to circulate the hot air through the rooms, a filter to purify the air and an automatic cut off in case of too much heat, also hot water at any time. There is some difference between this and the stove of olden days, which toasted one side of the pupils while the side away from the stove gradually turned to ice.
In the olden days the seats at first were benches which lined the walls and were in rows to the middle of the room. Then double desks had their day facing the North. Classes were held in front on benches.
Now we have the five rows of single seats six in a row facing north toward a platform. The teacher's desk is on this. Small classes are heard on the platform but larger classes are heard at a work table again - at the west side. The desks vary in size and taper down to the front for the smaller ones.
Before a recitation bench was used, there was one large bench for the entire Class. There are two sizes of chairs, one for small and one for large children. All children, whose desks do not fit them, have wooden blocks under their feet to make them more comfortable. In early days they simply dangled their feet and kicked their heels together.
The furnace inside was in the middle of the room as evidenced by a stove pipe. Now it is to one side in a corner. There have been five different chimneys in the room.
Some of the records, especially the early ones, we don't have because they burned up when Tait's house did in 1939. However a few of them in the year 1891 were available.
This year they had twenty pupils. Wilson Bright was the youngest and in the first grade. He was six years old. The oldest was James Fierrson eighteen, and in the sixth grade. James Hansome also eighteen and in the seventh grade. Charles Robinson was the teacher.
1900-1901. The youngest was Glen Smith and Ivan Blunk both in the first grade. Bert Brinkman was the oldest in the eighth. There were thirty-five pupils this year. J.C. Ryder was the teacher.
1902 - 1903. There were sixty pupils this year. The oldest was Eugene Bartlett who was in the eighth grade. He was seventeen years old. The youngest was Gertrude Shankland who was in the first grade and five years old. E.M. Kearney was the teacher.
1907 - 1908. In this year there were forty-one pupils. The oldest was Ruth Simpson who was in the seventh grade. The youngest was Louis Carraher six years old and in the second grade.
In the school year there were at least two terms and sometimes three. Winter and spring always. Most of the pupils were in the winter because there was less work on the farm. In the spring they didn't come anymore or at least the biggest share did not. The older boys used chewing tobacco and would sit at their desks and try to spit on the ceiling.
The teachers pay for the term was three dollar's a week and she would board with the neighbors.
Some of the teachers in this school were:
Mr. Miller 1876
James Brady 1870
Agnes Finnell
Perry Townsend 1880
Edith Lovewell Lou Bidwell Mattie Shankland Anna Nanry
May Thompson 1871
Lillia Sleigh Adda Roe
Vernon Sawyer 1891
Nellie Doone
Jessie Ryder 1899
Minnie Shankland 1892
Edith Townsend 1893
Allie Austin 1894
Jennie Brown 1895
Alice Quackenbush 1896
Edith Quackenbush 1897
Margaret Gunn 1900
Alice Shankland Lillian Crippen
T.E. Ryder 1901
Janette Brown Mr. Meckin Miss Pringle
Margaret Gunn Leland
Jean Reynders 1905
Lulu Nanry 1908
Effie Geheraty 1909
Florance Covert 1910
Jessie Blades
(Now Shankland) 1912
Esther Duris 1913
Leola Quackenbush 1914
Maude Grichen 1915-1916
Ruth Cowen
(Now Mrs. Tait, Director) 1917
Edith Wright 1918 Salary $65.00
Mrs. Edith Wright Herbst 1919 Mrs. Hazel Briggs Sept. to Dec. 1922
Mrs. Anna Beach 1922
Carrie Crippen Rest of term.
Alma Bolgos Kock 1924
Viola Hollis Wackenhut 1925
Lucille Latson 1926
Lucille Rowe 1927-1928
Allen Shoberg 1929
Florence Hass 1930-1931
Ivo R. Gates 1932-1933-1934
Bertha Young 1935-1936-1937
Sylvia Regetz 1938
Mary Pray Foster 1939-1940-1941
They had lady teachers in fall and summer and men in winter because big boys came in the winter and ladies were unable to handle them.
At first they didn't have grades. You came to school and as the time went on you advanced and got a higher book, also a harder one. Frank Stafford who now lives nearest to the school said, "I went to school here and Frains Lake, and in 1880 they didn't have grades. Shortly afterward they had grades and were marked. The subjects studied were Arithmetic, Reading, History, Geography, Spelling, Writing, Orthography, and Physiology. The names of some early books were Sanders readers, Sanders spellers, Robertson arithmetic, and Davis for the "High Hats".
Name Date
Harper's Fourth Reader 1888
(At the end of each story there were words. You had to be able to spell them and use them in a Sentence.)
American Intellectual Arithmetic 1886 (This book cost .50¢. There was
Sanders Speller No Date (There were reading lessons
in the speller to help in the
usage of new words.) (The exercises were very different from today)
Patterson Speller 1874
(The words were quite hard and there was a dictionary in the back explaining their meaning)
Harper's First Reader 1888
(This contained reading stories like today's and there were words at the end of some of the stories that had to be spelled.)
Progressive Practical Arithmetic 1877 (This is different from our books
of today. It is mostly story prob-lems. One page consisted of drill problems.
Civic Government of Michigan 1895---Cooker
(It is mostly like the civics of today. It had the amendments of Michigan. Tells office of state and county
Hygienic Phsiology 1888-Stelle
Elementary Arithmitic 1883-White
(Like ours of today only different problems.)
English Book 1899-Reed&Kellogg
(It had the same ideas as our English book of today)
The Human Body and It's Health 1884-Smith (Describing the parts of the
body. (Good food discussed and the things to do to make us healthy.)
History of the United States 1896-Mowry
(This book is the same as the book used in our 6th, 7th, & 8th Grades.)
The board of Examiners are required to examine all persons who may offer
themselves as teachers and to grant certificates licensing, as teachers, all persons having attained the age of 17. They must be qualified in respect to good moral character, learning and ability to instruct and govern a school. No certificate can be granted to anyone who has not passed a satisfactory examination on Orthography, Reading, Writing, Grammar, Geography, Arithmetic, the theory and art of teaching U.S. History, Civil Government and Physiology and Hygiene, with particular reference to the effects of alcoholic drink and narcotics upon the human system.
older days the children had no voice in room organization and government. The teacher would appoint the children to the various tasks. They didn't have many school books in old days, one old one that is still here in school about the only one known is Ivanhoe. The book for classes they had only one or two for a class and so they had to pass it around. Now each child has his own book for each study.
For entertainments they had speaking pieces, skating, such games as Two Old Cat, Long Dutch Ball, Pom-Pom- Pull-Away Anti-I-Over and sliding down hill on a slab of board or barrel stave. One game they played one day was Deer and Dog. The deer was chased so far away they didn't hear the bell ring. They had to make it up after school.
They had shadow socials, also Box and Foot. That was when the girls would put up a box of food, then they would hide behind a sheet. The boys had to guess who it was and they would bid. They would bid as high as one dollar or more. The highest bidder would get to eat with the girl whose box he bid on for the evening.
Olin Tait, father of one of our seventh grade girls and some other boys, took John Shankland's wagon and took it apart, then got it up on the school house and put it together again. The next morning Mr. Shankland came to see the boys. This was their Hallowe'en Prank. About fifty years ago the boys saw a man go by. His name was Frank Stafford. He had a watermelon with him. The boys thought there must be a watermelon patch around. In the back of the school there was a big field of over fifty acres which was in corn. So one day they started out at noon down the rows of corn. They were late for school and didn't find the melons. The next day they took a few rows apiece and marched straight through. That day they found the water melons and had a feast. They were late in getting back to school, and had to stay in the next noon.
In the 1870's they had a writing school. The leader was the teacher. His name was Mr. Miller. They had eight lessons for a dollar. Mr. Miller gave a prize at the end for the one that showed the most improvement. He lived on the Pontiac Trail.
Some of the first settlers who lived here about sixty years ago were Roes, Terrys, Bunn, Snows, Fohey, Mortez and Hatch. Harvey Andrews lived where Taits live now and Roes lived just east. Bunns at the Mason farm, Terrys lived at Phillip's place, Austins at Marion Murrays, Finnells at Combs, Savages at Nowlands,
Carrahers at Cuninghams, Manleysat Hosses, Mullhollands at the Winney's farm, Tom Shankland lived at Albers, Botsfords at Bolgos, Grahams at Brinkmans, Duress at McCormick, and Mahass lived at Coopers, Harrisons at Parker Murrays and Wadenhuts the first place down
